Catching Moby Dick
by optimustaud
Summary: Suena's reunion with Jomy after so many years


For all that Jomy Marcus Shin had been an obnoxious self-centered little brat, he had been one of Suena Dalton's closest friends. She had no idea why her thoughts of their childhood adventures should live so clearly in her mind when almost all other memories of her youth had faded like an aged Polaroid picture. Back then Suena, Sam, and Jomy had been inseparable. Then Jomy had disappeared and Keith had become the third member of their band. The three of them had been her boys and she missed each of them terribly.

Suena could still remember the last time she had seen Jomy. It was the same morning Sam had shown up at her house so that they could walk to school together. On any normal day Suena would have been waiting at her locker for Sam and Jomy. Her boy's would run in panting and laughing a minute before homeroom started. A grinning Jomy would drape his arms around the two of them as they walked to class. However, Jomy had turned fourteen the day before, which left Sam to make his way to school on his own.

At fourteen Jomy's childhood had ended. He had been evaluated by the maturity check and was already on his way to one of the satellites to complete his education. It was possible Sam and Suena would never see him again. So it had been a complete surprise to find the boy standing at the entrance as they arrived at school.

They called out to him when they saw him and Jomy had turned to look. His eyes had been wide with uncertainty and barely suppressed fear. The look had been so completely out of character that it stopped her cold, because Jomy had always been fearless. Sam, bless his heart, hadn't noticed and had bounded up to Jomy like an overexcited puppy happy to see his best friend.

Their reunion had been short and Jomy had run off soon after. Months later, when she had met Sam on E-1077 she had hoped that Jomy would be on the station as well. Instead she had met Keith. He was far too awkward and silent to be taken as a replacement for Jomy, but his compassion and loyalty reminded Suena of her lost friend. Sometimes she wondered how they would react to each other if they ever met. She was almost certain that there would be a fight.

Years past, she had dropped out, married, adopted a child and lost that child. She forgot about Jomy's odd disappearance and her feelings for Keith. Instead she invested all her energy on discovering the truth about Moby Dick. In the absence of any close friends or family she focused on her work with an obsessive determination.

For years Suena chased after her white whale and hoped she would find the answer. She read the official reports, interviewed witnesses, and threw herself into battlefields to learn more. Until, finally, after some fifteen years of chasing Moby Dick she was standing only feet from the graceful curve of its bow. Her white whale had landed in an Artemisian space port not so very far from her old hometown of Ataraxia.

Shaking with anticipation and excitement, she watched as a small shuttle launched from the upper bay doors to land in front of her. The beings who disembarked from the shuttle looked no different than any other person she had ever met, but these people moved with a quiet grace and measured calm that was not quite human. As they approached her and the details of their faces resolved in the early evening light she recognized the delicate features of Jomy Marcus Shin. He had grown, that much was true, and his eyes were darker than they had been in her memories, but his face was as smooth and unlined as it had been when they were thirteen years old.

"Suena Dalton," he said, "Why are you here?" His voice was calm, but demanding in its need for an answer.

Still reeling from the shock of seeing Jomy after all this time she hesitated for a moment. She could have slapped herself for stupidity. This was no time to be wishy washy, she was about to find out everything she had ever wanted to know about Moby Dick. Jomy seemed, not friendly, but willing enough to listen to her for the moment. "I work as a reporter. I am here because I have been tracking Moby Dick since it first appeared at Educational Satellite E-1077. It's been a long time Jomy."

Jomy's eyes narrowed. Suena felt two hard hands picked her up and draw her out of herself. There was an invasive rush of cold ripping through her and she could no longer feel her body. She was pinned down, helpless while that cold rifled through her mind. As quickly as they had come those cold hands retreated. She was back in her body, shaking and confused. She looked up, and saw a look of relief pass over Jomy's face. When he spoke to her again there was a rough edge in his voice that did not match the look in his eyes. "Very well, we have business with the authorities on Artemisia. I will speak with you after."

Still shaking and unsettled from what had happened she could only nodd numbly in agreement. "Leo, look after her until we return," Jomy spoke as he brushed past her.

Suena felt a pair of warm hands grasp her elbows and guide her up the ramp onto Moby Dick's shuttle. She flinched, almost crying as she felt another foreign touch in her mind. The nudge wasn't as cold or hard as what she had felt before, but it was still unwelcome and unpleasant. She felt more than heard a soft voice in her head.

_Miss Dalton. _

She turned towards the man who had remained behind to sit with her. He was young with curly blonde hair and soft, gentle features. His face was hovering over hers, his brow furrowed with concern. Then she heard that voice again; _Excuse us, Soldier had to check. We've had problems in the past._

Suena hugged herself, a tension headache beginning to form behind her sinuses. "What was that?" It was embarrassing the way her voice was trembling.

She felt that gentle brush on her mind again. _Forgive me; it has been many years since I have had the chance to speak with humans. I am mute; I can only speak to you through my thought waves._

Sitting alone with a stranger after her mind had been brutally invaded Suena felt the first stirrings of real fear. The ironclad determination that had carried her through the years wavered like leaves in the wind. Those strange foreign sensations in her head had been this man's attempt to communicate. Then those cold hard hands rifling through her thoughts before had most likely belonged to Jomy.

The man looked guilty and she felt that pressure in her head again. _I am sorry. This must be quite unnerving for you. Universal Control once sent an assassin after Soldier. Forgive us; we had to be certain of you._

She could feel his mind brushing softly against hers. In that moment he allowed her to experience his own thoughts and feelings. His apology was sincere and so was his confusion. He was not lying; he was unused to communicating with a human. She pushed back her own uneasiness and put on her best reporter face. She smiled and rubbed her temples, "It's all right. It feels a bit strange when you're speaking, but I am getting used to it. What do you mean by that?"

Leo's brows furrowed and he hesitated for just a minute. _Years ago Soldier Shin, Jomy, was nearly killed by someone he trusted. Universal Control manipulated this person, programmed him to get close to Soldier and then kill him. Back there Soldier was checking you to make sure you were not brain washed the same way._

Suena shivered. "You mean he was worried I was sent to assassinate him without me even realizing it."

_Yes. He had to check for his own safety as well as yours._

"How is that possible?" She grasped weakly for her shattered self control. She centered herself and focused on the questions. "I mean, that kind of programming."

_Universal manipulates brainwaves to erase memories. There really isn't anything stopping it from implanting memories and commands if it wants too._

* * *

After their first awkward meeting, Suena warmed to Leo with surprising ease. There was something about him that reminded her of Sam. _Telepathy with a human is differen_t, he explained, _we have to try harder to share our thoughts with them. It really doesn't require any effort to speak this way Mu to Mu. _

Leo took her back to the ship. He guided her through the innards of Moby Dick. She listened as he told her of the Mu and their history. She finally came to understand what had happened on Ataraxia all those years ago, the strange story of the white whale, and how Jomy was connected to all of this. Finally, Leo took her to a darkened blue room and together they waited for Jomy to return.

Suena observed Jomy with a critical eye as he entered the room. His careless loose limbed swagger and generous smile had disappeared. He walked with his head held high, spine stiff, and shoulders pushed back. He remained a detached observer as Leo and Harley briefed him. At some point during the years they had been separated Jomy had learned how to carry himself like a prince. The inexhaustible and frantic energy of his youth had been tamed and was now wielded with a single minded focus. His face, once so mobile and sensitive to his emotions was schooled to a perfect calm.

All her years working as an investigative journalist had not prepared her for this moment. This was no alien creature. This was the loudmouthed short tempered little punk who had a permanent seat in the counseling room and rarely made it to his classes on time. She analyzed each moment of the memories she had of him and could find nothing to connect that boy with the odd man standing in front of her. Then as the briefing came to and end . . .

_Wipe them out, show no mercy_

The order had been so casual it unnerved her. He dismissed his subordinates a moment later in a tone that brooked no argument. He was as self contained and distant as Keith on his worst days.

Suena pushed back her unease. This new Jomy had attacked her and had ordered the death of every man who resisted him. He might wear a familiar face, but this was not the same boy she had grown up with. Given what she had learned from Leo, he could kill her with nothing more than a thought if he chose too. She clung to the fact that he had allowed her to board this ship and despite the rough handling she had endured at the spaceport she had not been harmed.

Suena was not willing to give up; if she had learned anything as a reporter it was how to wheedle information out of a dangerous subject. The only thing she could do in this situation was ask the most uncomfortable question she could think of and see how he reacted. "Are you the one who staged the mental wave attack on E-1077?"

He answered her questions without actually telling her anything. His expression gave nothing away. Yes, I am responsible for the attack and yes, it was necessary at the time. A less observant woman would never have noticed the slight tension in his shoulders or the strained pause in his replies. She had hit a nerve.

He rose from his seated position, shoulders squared and head raised high. He turned to face her "Do you know a Members Elite named Keith Anyan?"

It was her turn to be surprised. "He was a classmate of mine on E-1077," She paused for a moment wondering if she should tell him the rest, "He was Sam Houston's best friend."

His eyes softened at the mention of Sam's name and for a moment she saw . . . well she wasn't sure exactly what it was she was looking at, but it was the first visceral emotion she had seen on his face. Now that she finally knew what "M" actually was she was certain that all of this was connected with Silvester 7. Even Leo, who had answered all her questions as honestly as he could had been evasive and uncomfortable talking about that planet. She was also certain that neither Jomy nor Keith would ever tell her what had happened on that planet.

Her questions squirmed uncomfortably in her mind. If Jomy had become as much like Keith as she suspected, then asking him further would only push him deeper into that icy mask of his. She would have to strategize carefully if she wanted to learn more.

Sam would have known what to do. Sam had a way of getting under a persons skin. He had been big hearted, generous, and loyal to the point of stupidity. He had been an important part of her life and she missed him terribly. Now that he was lost in the mind of his eight year old self she understood just how much she had taken that warm, solid presence for granted.

Suena shook her head and sighed. It was pointless to keep brooding over this; one old friend stuck with the mind of a child, one friend who had closed his heart so completely she would never reach it, and another friend who had turned into a complete stranger. There was nothing she could do for any of them and even if she could she knew they would never accept her help. The meeting with Leticia and her foster parents would be her last chance to find out if any part Jomy remained within Soldier Shin. In any case, there was no way she could let Leticia see how troubled she was. All problems aside, she did have a date with her daughter today.

* * *

The car ride to the park counted as the most awkward moment in Suena's life. She was sitting in the back of a black limo with three telepaths trying to hide her worry and excitement. Judging by the reactions of Tony and Leo she was doing a pretty poor job of it. Tony did nothing but glare at her and make contemptuous little noises in the back of his throat every time she spoke. Leo would lock eyes with her and smile reassuringly. Jomy remained as frigid and distant as he had been during the meeting.

The car lurched to a stop as they came to their destination. Jomy walked with her towards the park. Leticia was sitting between her new foster family. They were too engrossed with the child's chattering to notice Suena's approach. She wondered if Jomy had noticed, or if he simply didn't care. She had accepted the fact that she didn't really know him anymore. That didn't mean she was willing to give up trying to reach him. "Don't you want to meet my daughter? She is so fascinated with the space whale and if she knew that was where you lived. . ." he was already turning away from her, "And her new family. They really are good people. They care about children so much. They still think fondly of another child they raised a long time ago."

She trailed off looking at him expectantly. He had stopped moving towards the car for just a moment. She held her breath hoping. He tilted his head towards her. "I have no time to be involved in such matters." Then he looked away and started walking back towards the car.

That was it then. She had her answer. That frightened little boy outside the school really was the last time she saw her friend. She turned away as she heard William Shin calling for her. There was no use in brooding over it, none at all, no matter how much this rejection hurt.

That was when she felt a faint twinge in the back of her skull. At first she thought it might have been Leo trying to get her attention, but this was stronger, fiercer than any of the times she had communicated with Leo. She let the feeling wash over her without fighting it and it was . . .

Flowers blossoming after a rainstorm

The smell of lawn cut grass and children laughing as they played soccer

It was the feel of salt on her face and the ebb of the tides, just like that one afternoon she had gone to the beach with Sam and Jomy.

It said Thank you and I'm sorry

Then it was gone. Somewhere a car was pulling off into the roadway. In the park below her, Leticia was calling for her.


End file.
